The Sound of Magic (2022)

This was a cute short story. I loved every second of it. I didn't like one thing and that it didn't last long. lol, The magic was so cool. The butterflies were beautiful, the scenery was awesome. Ji Chang Wook play the part of the Magician and he was really good and convincing. His smooth talk had me. Choi Sung Eun, I loved her too, I felt bad for the character she had to play. She played a serious part, wow the burden she had to take on. Hwang In Youp, I felt bad for the character role he played, my goodness, why do these kids have to deal with parents that control every aspect of their lives. It's a good watch. Magic is beautiful.

Read More

Annara sumanara

So I had seen one trailer for this while looking for something to watch & thought this looks nice & fun but it is so much more than that. There are actually a lot of serious & dark elements to this short series which I wasn't really expecting & is probably the reason I have not rated it higher.
However, I absolutely adored this show - the first episode was just mesmerising - it had me hooked immediately. Ji Chang-wook is utterly perfect as the Magician (I definitely will be watching more of his work, I also think he should play a vampire at some point - he'd be brilliant) & the rest of the ensemble was cast really well too.
The first few episodes feel quite musical theatre but I'm fine with that however things turn darker towards the end of the show. It does feel like more could be done with this, there are certainly a few unanswered questions. Overall, this show puts a spotlight on many pertinent societal issues whilst throwing in some singing & dancing along with a few tear-jerking moments... what more could you want?

Read More

Not at all what I was expecting!

Well, that was not what I had in mind.

I was expecting whimsical fantasy and I got more of a dark and heavy sadness. I planned for a musical extravaganza similar to Glee or Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist I guess, but this was not those.

And that's not a bad thing. I really enjoyed the series over all, especially the performances of the 3 main leads. I thought the musical numbers were fantastic and some of the fantasy sequences were really very well done. The parallells between Ri Eul and Il Deung's upbringing was very good too.

Once again the parents in this drama were terrible on all fronts but that aside the take away is that no matter what yourparents expect from you, you have a right to live your life the way you choose!

Read More

A feast for the eyes and ears

It really was a drama with a magical feel, containing eye popping set moments and, of course, a very attractive lead male cast.
The story is a definite, quite sharp dig, at the S.Korean culture of many parents pushing their kids academically (at the cost of their childhoods), being fixated with 'powerful' jobs and their associated higher earnings, and moulding kids even if they don't fit. All at the risk, or cost, of their mental health.
The acting is fitting and the characters mixed, with one female being truly slappable.
The story gets far darker than the trailers and look of the drama depict, with a very unpleasant character in a thriller/crime element of the story.
It wasn't perfect and some aspects had me scratching my head; but, I was captivated and thoroughly enjoyed the singing in this musical, too. Ji Chang-wook is very talented, even though he doesn't always pick roles that make his talents shine.
Worth watching.

Read More

Plan to be touched

Initially I chose to watch it because it's only 6 episodes and I just wanted to watch some fun show. It was a bit "meh" in the beginning, then when the characters started belting out their script in song, it made me pay attention [yes, I love musicals]. The lyrics are simple and ordinary but grabbed my attention - so much so that one is able to feel the emotions being relayed in the lyrics. The progression of the storyline was on cue. There were so many questions in my mind that made me want to go to the last episode. The back story of the characters were all well-thought out and revealed at the appropriate time to solidify the story line. This is one drama that I would recommend to young adults - even teenagers - to encourage them to always evaluate their life goals and the path they are taking to reach their goals. There are a lot of "lessons learned" to be imparted - for the adult as well as the teenagers.
Even the ending "credits" is fun!

Read More

High school musical drama, with Disney magic, that turns into a dark thriller

What’s good:
+ High school musical drama, with Disney magic, that turns into a dark thriller with a take on the competitive education system
+ See Jae Yi from Beyond Evil in short hair and hear her sing
+ Reminder to spend some time to indulge in things that we love, while we get on with our everyday lives

What could have been better:
- The wooden horses could have turned into real horses after they soared into the sky, for the ultimate whimsical world of Disney magic

What is not good:
- The irresponsible father ran away leaving his elder daughter to take care of his younger daughter – This happened in Dream High (2011) which I watched recently. Is this supposed to be a cliché for high school musical drama?

Read More

Wasn't what I initially expected, but...

The Sound of Magic wasn't what I had initially expected when I started watching it, and to be honest, for the first couple of episodes, it was because I wasn't a fan. However, what I realised, was that I had a very pessimistic and thoughtless viewpoint. This drama, to be enjoyed, must be viewed with a drizzle, sprinkle and then big wallop of imagination, imagination, imagination! Even with this, I wasn't still realising the great morals. The morals of The Sound of Magic are the reason why this has scored higher than what I had initially anticipated, too. Morals such as: happiness is most important in life, your problems don't go away until you fix them for yourself, to not take life too seriously. There are more but if I listed all of them, this review would be way too long.

The stronger points of this drama include acting, cinematography and characters. I was initially surprised at the number of characters that do get involved since there is only 6 episodes, but all characters are very well written, and all are relevant and add to the story. Cinematography is absolutely stunning (along with SFX now that I think about it). It's like when a daydream comes to life, I guess. Great cast, around half I had known before and did an exceptional job once again, whilst the other half of the cast that I previously hadn't known about, did great too! I am eager to see them in more dramas.

Never stop believing. The Sound of Magic, thank you for reminding me.

Read More

“Annara sumanara”

This series was amazing.
Before it came out I was so excited to watch it but after it come out I was kinda “afraid” of watching it, kdramas have been disappointing me for so long that I was really unsure if I should watched and after so much time passed I finally watch it and I’m glad I did it, it really was worth it.
This cast is insanely good, Ji Chang Wook is a truly bless… In Youp and Sung Eun did an incredible job.
——————————————————————-
I really loved the messages this drama tried to sent us, the magic of life, the things that are worth living, family issues, sexual arassment a lot of things that people forget that exists and it need to be talked about.
Chang Wook's character was, with no doubts, my favourite one, I loved the way they colide Il Deung and Ah Yi personalities and historys in just one character that is doing much better in life than them, what I mean is that even with the “same” problems this character overcame those and became an exceptional human being, what means that they can do it too.
This drama really made me realise that somethings in this world aren’t for everyone, maybe somethings are individually ours; like magic, it isn’t for everyone, it's for the ones who believe in it and the ones who allows themselves to see it, because for them that’s the true, but it doesn’t mean that it’s an universal true
I really loved the fact they talk about the “society standards”, how every single person has that in mind, like being a normal person… but what does that really means? Being white? Being straight? Being thin? Being rich? What really means to be normal? Or what really means a society standard???? I tell u this means nothing, a standard is something that it’s based in facts that are constantly happening, aren’t people always saying that “we are all different! Don’t try to be like the others” then why do we have standards? Why do we have to pretend to be someone else just because we are an unusual type of person in this mediocre wordl?
I loved that they really talked about it, it wasn’t just to “aware” of it, they showed it for real, they explained it and told us how bad it is to don’t fit in just because we are different, unusual, just because WE ARE OURSELVES and that is to me a f*cking amazing show.
Magician's relationship with his bird “Bella” shows to the world that people who seem to be cold, the ones that like to be alone or even heartless sometimes aren’t really this way, maybe they have a heart that can’t be shown and given to everyone.
This drama really passed the message that we are all humans, we all have our dark side and demons but also feelings and a heart and a mind that sometimes make us do things that we don’t have time to control it or to think about it twice, this is just what we are… HUMAN BEINGS IN A CRAZY WORLD… some of us are good, some of us are bad and some of us don’t have the courage to pick a side and maintain their position, just like Baek Ha Na, and this ones are the worst of them all because they never make the right thing with the best intentions it always comes with a price ALWAYS and that it’s awful but it’s true and that is constantly happening in real life.

Read More

Annara Sumanara is my magical words healing words now

●HOW I CAME TO IT
This is my first Ji Chang Wook Drama, after a thorough recommendation from MDL’s I picked TSOM.

●FIRST IMPRESSION
I have never been to a musical but I have been to a circus show just once in my lifetime and this drama brings back the memories of my trip to of circus, there were so many acrobats, jugglers, rope walkers, clowns and a magician, filled with musicians and dancers.
The magic show at the end of the circus made me forget everything else, I know those were all tricks but it was fantastic for my childhood memory.

●PLOT VIEW
The Sound of Magic tells a tale about a mysterious magician Ri Eul, who meets two teens, stressed up from the adult pressure of society. He shows them some magic and that's the best part because we cannot differentiate between what is real magic and fake magic. If just happens to be one’s faith and belief, if you believe there is god and it is everywhere if you don’t believe in its existence it isn't anywhere. Ri Eul shows magic shows which heals the soul and takes away the pain at that moment.

●ACTING/CAST
Big applause for the casting directors. They picked an ensemble cast, not just with facial beauty but talent in singing and acting too. Ri Eul played by Ji Chang Wook is pure bliss. He takes up the job to make us feel that magic is real, he is just perfect in that magician robe and hat. His past added that extra glimpse of that pain behind the smile.
Hwang In Yeop as Na Il Deung was also a perfect choice because we have seen him in arrogant, bully roles. It's kind of refreshing to see him as a nerdy student. He flows in his character like he has been doing this for ages. Il Deung means number 1 in Korean and here as a top student, he works hard that he develops illness too.
Choi Eun Sung as Yoon Ah Yi, the name means child in Korean, also represents that a child is more attracted to magic and fairies. She is perfect, a quick wit, weak and enthusiastic. She literally made my heart feel at ease when she performed magic.

●MUSIC
About the music, all the musicals are upbeat, uplifting, and ensembled with beautiful lyrics. My playlist is updated and I got all the musicals to the video list. The musicals are a huge plus point of the drama

●REWATCH
I already watched it twice because it's short and just 6episodes so didn’t really keep engaged. It gives an accomplishment and a happy feel.

●APPRECIATION
This is my first musical drama and highly grateful for it. Its cinematography, and esthetic are just magical.

●FAV SCENE
Ri Eul and Ah Yi giant wheel magic.
Na Il Deung singing with a guitar in the fields.

●RECOMMENDATION
It is such a good drama, short sweet, and motivational. If anyone is going through any slump, they will get a magic healing session.

Read More

WHAT THE HELL WAS THIS

No because.... what was the point of this kdrama!? It ended so abruptly with a confusing ending...
Is the magician a schizophrenic who genuinely thought he had real powers!? Did he lowkey seduce a high schooler!? LIKE WHAT WAS HAPPENING:::: Why did they hint at them getting together when shes clearly younger than the magician...and the poor second lead oh god you guys need to give hwang inyeop a break!!! Honestly though I really liked the side plot with the main girl and second lead, they seemed so adorable but the ending ruined it honestly...I was so confused by the ending. It felt like they just ended it because they couldn't be arsed to go on with it. The plot had some potential though...it's weirdness is what made me watch till the end LOL

Read More

too short

a high school girl who faces the world alone because her father ran away from creditors. she is bullied at school and has to work to take care of her little sister. everything in her life is sad and hopeless until she meets the magician. I really loved the story because you just can't figure out if things really happened or if that was an/her illusion, or a trick. the story takes unexpected turns a couple of times. through this experience she will learn a lot about life, society, faith and friendship. 6 episodes are definitely too short for this story! I had this feeling that everything was shortened in order to hold in time.

on the other hand, this show can be watched in one (long) evening or at least one week-end. it's fun and very deep at the same time. that's perfect for new friends or lovers who need to get to know each other. you can really have very deep conversations about life, money, family and friendship while watching this. have fun!

Read More